Views sharply divergent on pot dispensaries

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Fletch

The States numerous officials have taken similar oaths as Commissioner Stern, and they legalized not only Medical marijuana, but dispensaries as well. Our governor who signed the bills has not been put behind bars for doing so. I understand the reference but the intent of the reference is questionable in my mind. The fact of the matter is, medical marijuana patients are everywhere in our community. They roof your house. They ref your kid’s sporting events. They ring up your groceries. They take your blood pressure at the doctor’s office. They teach your children. They sit next to you in church. Yes, that’s right. They’re everywhere. Just like regular people. Because they are, in fact, just regular people.

11:33 am - Sat, February 8 2014

Fletch

The fact of the matter is, the “protect our children” mantra is smoke screen for the real issue. The real issue is morals. Or more to the point, a “my morals are better than yours, so let’s go with mine” issue. Just like prostitution, gay marriage, prohibition, capital punishment, polygamy, civil rights and abortion, medical marijuana is purely a moral issue: You don’t agree with it so you want to ban it for everyone. Even those people who jumped through all the necessary hoops to get their OMMP recommendation, paid a small fortune to get the card and live in a state where dispensaries were made legal. Not good enough for you. You still want to hold the citizens of Yamhill County to your moral standards. Forget the hypothetical influx of crime or the imminent corruption of our community’s children. Those are just red herrings because no one wants to admit that this is purely a moral issue. The other moral issues I just mentioned all have one other thing in common: The people who were being held to someone else’s moral standards all prevailed. Let me say that again: The people who were being held to someone else’s moral standards all prevailed. Gay marriage is legal in many states, as is abortion and capital punishment. Prohibition was a dismal failure. Polygamy, although maybe not legal, is still being practiced, black people no longer have to go to the back of the bus and prostitution will never leave us. Why do the groups of people who are held to other’s moral standards always prevail? Because you cannot legislate morality.

11:36 am - Sat, February 8 2014

Fletch

Name anything in the world and you will always have someone who abuses or misuses it or takes it to the extreme. Drugs, alcohol, caffeine, sugar, sex, religion. Anything. There will always be “that guy”. You all know “that guy”. Our prisons, police departments and law offices are full of “that guy”. “That guy” is what keeps them all in business. You should thank “that guy” for the job security he provides. “That guy” will always be here, because he cannot be regulated. You cannot regulate lack of personal responsibility or intelligence any more than you can regulate morals. This goes for parenting as well. It is the parent’s job to regulate their own children, not the government’s. It is YOUR job as a parent to teach your children about drugs, to keep them safe and to give your children the skills they will need to live on their own and be productive members of society. Not TV or teachers or the government’s. Step up and be parents. If you’ve done your jobs, your children will turn out just fine, in spite of growing up in a town with a dispensary. The fact of the matter is, if you do not have an OMMP card, then you have no need to ever go to a dispensary. Having a dispensary in town will have no impact on your life whatsoever if you have no need to go to one. But, if you do have a card and need to go to one, it will have a HUGE impact on your life. Who are you to take that away from someone else?

11:58 am - Sat, February 8 2014

Fletch

So let’s say you’ve managed to successfully ban dispensaries in Yamhill County. After your celebratory party, here’s what will happen next: The people who need to go to one will now have to make the roughly 60 mile round trip to get to one. Once there, they’re going to stock up so they don’t have to make as many trips. HB 3460 says they can get up to a pound and a half at one time. Once they’ve stocked up, what happens next? They bring it back to Yamhill County to use. If they can’t afford to make the trip to another county, what will they do? Go to their local dealer. Now you’re keeping the dealers in business AND giving them a raise as well, so you’ve just enabled the very things you’re trying to eliminate. There’s still a supply of marijuana here and the dealer’s business has been given a boost. As any 6th grade economics class can tell you, this is basic supply and demand. This is what happens when you make decisions based on irrational fear instead of common sense. Or at least a basic understanding of economics. As we’ve heard repeatedly from Sheriff Crabtree, HB 3460 is a “flawed law”, yet you are trying to combat it with something equally flawed.

11:59 am - Sat, February 8 2014

Fletch

The Michigan Supreme Court ruled Thursday that local officials in Michigan may not ban the use of medical marijuana within their boundaries — a unanimous landmark ruling expected to overturn local ordinances in Livonia, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills and Lyon Township. The outcome was hailed by marijuana activists, because if it had gone the other way, there was a chance that the decision would have barred all Michiganders from using marijuana for health purposes. And numerous communities were said to be watching the outcome before considering passage of their own local ordinances.

05:37 am - Mon, February 10 2014

Lulu

I thought we were encouraged to shop local.

10:06 am - Mon, February 10 2014

borg43

Legalize already!We have wine and Beer bars everywhere!!!Why not expand!!! And what Lulu said..I thought we were encouraged to shop local.This town needs new members on the board!We cant even get a Costco or Target here..

05:58 pm - Mon, February 10 2014

Fletch

With Washington being 50 miles away, ANYONE over the age of 21 can go pic up their cannabis and bring it back to town. The council can't is Ludacris in their thinking, banning a dispensary will slow or stop anything.Borg43, I agree. old heads are not in touch with current times.

05:21 am - Tue, February 11 2014

Fletch

http://www.c-span.org/video/?317590-1/MarijuanaPo

If you have an hour, this is good stuff.

05:40 am - Tue, February 11 2014

Fletch

The government is finally figuring out that they can't arrest marijuana out of existence. It's unfortunate that so many folks have had their lives destroyed because they have smoked cannabis. Violent criminals have a better shot at getting student loans and federal housing then a cannabis user do. In 2012 a marijuana related arrest was made every 42 seconds. Tell me there is no financial gain for enforcement agencies in marijuana arrest. Privatized prisons, drug testing outfits, drug policy makers. Anti cannabis is a business all to it's self. It's to bad that this business prays on the internal, emotional well being of it's citizens. Your stupid, your dumb, you belong behind bars, not in this town.I have talked with many cannabis users. Young and old. The old ones are, from my determination, are some what disgruntle that they took the brunt of governments ridiculous policies on marijuana.

06:16 am - Tue, February 11 2014

Fletch

THEN THE LORD SAID TO MOSES, "TAKE THE FOLLOWING FINE SPICES: 500 SHEKELS OF LIQUID MYRRH, HALF AS MUCH OF FRAGRANT CINNAMON, 250 SHEKELS OF KANNABOSM, 500 SHEKELS OF CASSIA - ALL ACCORDING TO THE SANCTUARY SHEKEL - AND A HIND OF OLIVE OIL. MAKE THESE INTO MAKE THESE INTO A SACRED ANNOITING OIL, A FRAGRANT BLEND, THE WORK OF A PERFUMER. IT WILL BE THE SACRED ANNOITING OIL.

THEN USE IT TO ANOINT THE TENT OF THE MEETING, THE ARK OF THE TESTIMONY, THE TABLE AND ALL ITS ARTICLES, THE LAMPSTAND AND ITS ACCESSORIES, THE ALTAR OF INCENSE, THE ALTAR OF BURNT OFFERING AND ALL ITS UTENSILS, AND THE BASIN WITH ITS STAND. YOU SHALL CONSECRATE THEM SO THEY WILL BE MOST HOLY, AND WHATEVER TOUCHES THEM WILL BE HOLY.

ANOINT AARON AND HIS SONS AND CONSECRATE THEM SO THEY MAY SERVE ME AS PREISTS. SAY TO THE ISRAELITES, "THIS IS TO BE MY SACRED ANOINTING OIL FOR THE GENERATIONS TO COME. DO NOT POUR IT ON MEN'S BODIES AND DO NOT MAKE ANY OIL WITH THE SAME FORMULA. IT IS SACRED, AND YOU ARE TO CONSIDER IT SACRED. WHOEVER MAKES PERFUME LIKE IT AND WHOEVER PUTS IT ON ANYONE OTHER THAN A PREIST MUST BE CUT OFF FROM HIS PEOPLE."